State police tout success of Flint directed patrols, say more work still to be done

Michigan State Police Troopers Josh Dirkse and Carissa Horan search a person on Flint's north side while patrolling a neighborhood.File Photo

FLINT, MI -- The Michigan State Police say that their
directed patrols in Flint have proven successful, but they look forward to doing
more in a city that has historically been maligned because of crime.

State police officials have released a small sample of
statistics highlighting their work in Flint since Gov. Rick Snyder announced
his Secure Cities Initiative that brought an increased trooper presence to the
city.

Troopers have racked up the arrests in Flint since the
beginning of 2012, according to the data.

The statistics released by the state police show troopers
have arrested 501 people on 847 felony charges, 873 people on 1,075 misdemeanor
charges and 2,033 people on 4,611 outstanding warrants.

In total, troopers have lodged 2,232 offenders in jail from
January 2012 to March 2013, according to the data.

"Our goal is to make the city safer," said Michigan State
Police Lt. Brian Cole.

Cole said troopers have adopted a data-driven approach to
crime fighting in the city, using real-time crime data to focus their time and
resources to identify and target criminal hotspots.

There are 28 troopers assigned to the city of
Flint, including a partnership between the state police and Flint police's
detective bureaus.

Cole said troopers are working to find ways to connect with residents in the community they are now serving, adding that resident cooperation
is vital to fighting crime in a city that perennially ranks as one of the
most violent in the nation.

This networking effort was on display Wednesday, May 8,
when nearly two dozen state troopers gathered at Flint's Bryant Elementary to
kick off the state police Teaching, Educating and Mentoring program at the
city's schools.

The program was created to teach the students important
safety lessons while at the same time building trust and respect between
troopers and the city's youngest residents.